Act Locally » January 22, 2014

Yinzers Toss Teach for America

Critics argue that TFA's untested teachers and the rapid turnover are unfair to students, and that the program is a stopgap, at best, for the problem of chronically underfunded and understaffed public schools.

Advocates for public education scored a major victory in December, when the newly constituted Pittsburgh Board of Education rejected a three-year, $750,000 contract between Teach for America (TFA) and Pittsburgh Public Schools. TFA assigns recent college graduates to teaching positions in public schools, often urban schools that are considered failing. Critics believe the program does a disservice to children and undermines the foundations of public education.

The victory is part of a broad and bitter struggle that has escalated dramatically in Pennsylvania since Tom Corbett was elected the state’s governor in 2010. A Republican in the Tea Party mold, Corbett made “education reform”—code for defunding public schools and shifting students to charter and private schools—central to his campaign. Once elected, he pushed through a 2011 budget with an estimated $1 billion in cuts to funding for the state’s public schools. The advocacy group Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign described the cuts as “an outrageous assault on children, families and Pennsylvania’s economic future.” One thing that both sides can agree on is the dire condition of Philadelphia’s public schools, which are “facing end times,” as Salon’s Aaron Kase recently wrote, noting that some are doing without “counselors, administrative staff, noon aides, nurses, librarians or even pens and paper.”

If budget cuts have created a sense of doom in Philadelphia, the story is playing out much differently in Pittsburgh. There, just as in Philadelphia, the cuts have done serious damage, but they have also inspired a remarkably vibrant grassroots movement on behalf of public schools.

In early 2013, a crucial opportunity arose to advance the anti-privatization movement in Pittsburgh: Four of the nine Board of Education members announced their retirement. Unlike cities such as Chicago and New York, which have mayor-appointed school boards, the Pittsburgh board is elected by residents. So several labor, interfaith and social justice groups came together to promote candidates who support education justice and to host public forums to help educate the public about the candidates. That coalition subsequently formed Great Public Schools Pittsburgh (GPSP). Throughout the months leading up to the general election, GPSP met with the candidates to share concerns about the trend toward privatization.

The most dramatic fruit of their labor has been the end of the TFA contract. The lame-duck board had approved the contract by a 6-3 vote, but the new board voted 6-2 (with one abstention) to cancel it.

TFA has come under increasing scrutiny over the past several years. Its recruits commit to two-year stints and are placed in schools after just five weeks of training. Critics argue that the untested teachers and the rapid turnover are unfair to students, and that the program is a stopgap, at best, for the problem of chronically underfunded and understaffed public schools.

“We should be making schools welcoming, wonderful environments where both students and teachers want to be every day. Bringing in new people and contributing to constant churn within the school is not the way to do it,” says Jessie Ramey, a founding member of GPSP and the mother of two children in Pittsburgh public schools.

In addition to its efforts to elect friendly Board of Education members, GPSP has organized rallies to protest privatization measures and school closings; invited former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch to speak about her recent book, Reign of Error, which analyzes “the hoax of the privatization movement”; and conducted a bus tour through several neighborhoods where the city has closed public schools. “These things have allowed us to shine a spotlight on what’s going on,” Ramey says.

GPSP also got a supportive mayor in the November elections. Democrat Bill Peduto campaigned on the theme of investing in the city’s neglected urban neighborhoods, and the public schools are central to his plans. Over the past year, Ramey worked with one of Peduto’s advisors to craft his education policy.

In 2014, GPSP’s priority is to push forward positive alternatives to privatizing education, such as community- based public schools. For Ramey, that means “making each of our schools the hub of its community, and bringing resources into each school based on what it needs. The community model is less of a model and more of a mindset. People believe that, by investing in schools, they’re investing in their community. They’re throwing their arms around each school and saying, ‘We’re not going to let it close. We’re going to get everything in this building that we need.’ ”

Ramey has been an influential voice in Pittsburgh’s education debates since 2011, when she founded the blog Yinzercation (a play on “Yinzer,” slang for a native of southwestern Pennsylvania) in response to the state budget cuts. She says the recent victories are exciting, but long-term success is still uncertain, and sustaining a coalition can be a struggle.

“It’s really hard,” she said of GPSP’s process. “Each member has its comfort level with different kinds and styles of actions. But the group has been very willing to say, ‘Okay, let’s learn from each other.’ We know that the only way we’re going to win is to work together.”

Theo Anderson, an In These Times staff writer, is writing a book about the historical and contemporary influence of pragmatism on American politics. He has a Ph.D. in American history from Yale University and teaches history and literature seminars at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

But they don't Will. Public schools outperform private schools on NAEP (when controlling for poverty) and public schools also,outperform charters overall.

Just because you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap piece of $h1t, does not mean that model works for educating children.

Our public schools have never been better - highest NAEP scores, with the lowest achievement gap on the NAEP, and we approaching record level graduation rates.

Sell your Wall Street snake oil elsewhere.

Posted by jwis on 2014-03-16 23:25:55

"Yinzers"?? Yinzercation? Pretty crappy names and word choices. I'm from that part of PA, and I find the use of these words offensive and annoying. Also, where is the union in all of this? Making concessions? Will the teaching to the test model be changing just because TFA might be out?

Posted by Michael Yates on 2014-01-25 18:33:38

"The United States spent more than $11,000 per elementary student in 2010 and more than $12,000 per high school student. When researchers factored in the cost for programs after high school education such as college or vocational training, the United States spent $15,171 on each young person in the system — more than any other nation covered in the report.

That sum inched past some developed countries and far surpassed others. Switzerland's total spending per student was $14,922 while Mexico averaged $2,993 in 2010. The average OECD nation spent $9,313 per young person.

As a share of its economy, the United States spent more than the average country in the survey. In 2010, the United States spent 7.3 percent of its gross domestic product on education, compared with the 6.3 percent average of other OECD countries. Denmark topped the list on that measure with 8 percent of its gross domestic product going toward education.

Spending, of course, only tells part of the story and does not guarantee students' success. The United States routinely trails its rival countries in performances on international exams despite being among the heaviest spenders on education."

Posted by StolidBro on 2014-01-23 22:41:56

"WASHINGTON The United States spends more than other developed nations on its students' education each year, with parents and private foundations picking up more of the costs, an international survey released Tuesday found.

Despite the spending, U.S. students still trail their rivals on international tests."

It's not about spending too little, it is about a failed union educracy having a monopoly in the USA.

Posted by StolidBro on 2014-01-23 22:36:22

Will, if private industry gets its claws even deeper in the public schools it won't be cheaper. They're in it for the money. They are demanding what every public school should have- enough resources and personnel. And they're getting it at the expense of existing schools that are left to educate ALL students.If you want a particular school you CAN have it now. This is America and we have many choices. Some you have to pay out of pocket. I would have been happy with a Toyota Solara, but I got a Carolla, because that's what I was will to pay for. Investing in your community school WiLL make it the school you want for your child.

Posted by Patricia Lamarre on 2014-01-23 20:30:13

The concept of a "public" school is a fiction. What you call public schools are in fact government schools. A true public education system would allow for a parent to choose where they want to send their child based on their determination of best fit - not the government nor a government instrumentality ie;. a school district. As to your fixation on one size fits all government schools - well, it does not and can not. The more diversity of school venue and choice for the parent the better. If private industry can do the job faster, better and cheaper - so be it.

Posted by Will Garfinkel on 2014-01-23 20:14:43

Sorry, if by new model you mean this community based model, I apologize. If you mean Teach For America, those corporate 'deformers' work for themselves, and do more harm to public schools by not accepting all students regardless of their special needs/behavioral needs. If students don't perform successfully them dismiss them back to ...public school. They take money and resources away from public schools and demand all their needs be funded with taxpayer money, Public school educates ALL children. All, not just some children, deserve the best we can give.

Posted by Patricia Lamarre on 2014-01-23 19:23:52

Pittsburgh could be a model for every American city! Should this be considered a novel idea, a novel model for our schools? NO! Schools SHOULD be the hub of the community. Each school SHOULD have whatever RESOURCES it needs for its particular student population to succeed. Invest in schools and you invest in your community. So many politicians are selling out our schools, our children, and therefore the very communities they are elected to serve! Much of school funding is spent on state and federal mandates to purchase countless standardized tests, practice test, computers just for tests, administrators for overseeing testing and accountability. Follow the money, folks. It's not going to kids, teachers, building maintenance, books, supplies!

Posted by Patricia Lamarre on 2014-01-23 19:14:56

To finish the work, it's time to stop the harassment and intimidation of public school teachers in Pittsburgh. No more firings of experienced and dedicated teachers because of VAM and Arne Duncan.

Posted by Martinzehr on 2014-01-23 09:12:13

There is a monthly meeting for parents at the district level I've attended for the past 8 years and I've never seen Ms Ramey, so I'm wondering who is she is collaborating with? As for the Peduto education planning meeting, it involved hundreds of people not just GPSP or Ms Ramey. There are many diverse voices in Pittsburgh and that is why we will not become Philadelphia, we have not given up on our public schools! Also PA DOE funds Pittsburgh Public School District around 50% of the budget - much higher than the state average which is closer to 40%. In Pittsburgh we should be slow to bash the current administration for "unfair" funding. The reason the cut comparison is used for 2011 is because in the previous years the PA education budget was inflated by then governor Ed Rendell from federal stimulus dollars - it was unsustainable.

Posted by Steve DeFlitch on 2014-01-23 08:00:01

What is the promise of government education? You have been trying to fix the government school model for at least the last 30 years and it's still broken. Maybe a new model is in order.